Mono Lake
Laurence G. Miller and Shaun Baesman |
 

Mono Lake
Morning at Mono Lake, Calif. A microbial community thriving in the hot springs there uses arsenic -- a mineral best known for its toxic properties to other forms of life -- instead of oxygen for photosynthesis, researchers report. The finding strengthens the theory that this strange quality allowed photosynthesis to evolve during the oxygen-free conditions of the early Earth.

 
 
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